Realizations of Epic Proportions
by erascapianygirl
Summary: *This is from two years ago, which I just found.* The night after Max makes it out of the isolation tank and is back with the flock, she and Fang have a confrontation. What will happen between the two?


You know, it's funny. When you're utterly alone, with not even your senses for company, you tend to think a lot. You go over your entire life and rethink it. With so much thinking going on, your brain starts to overload and you start to hallucinate. You think you're crazy and you want to _stop_ thinking before your brain explodes, but at the same time, you know you'll lose yourself completely if you stop. You have to have something to keep you tied to your humanity.

One thing I kept thinking about while in that tank was my flock, and, if I'm honest with myself, Fang especially. I'd been taking care of the flock for years, and even when I, myself wasn't tending the flock, we still looked out for each other, we were family. But we had families of our own now, or at least, _they_ did. We found some kind of information (even if it wasn't legible) on everyone's parents, except mine. The flock stayed optimistic for me, but I had a feeling I would never find my parents.

Now, don't get me wrong; I think it's _great_ that we're that much closer to finding everyone their true home…but, it was hard enough giving Iggy away for a week, what would happen to me if I had to watch all of them leave me? What would I do, being all alone? What would I do without Fang?

Yes, I really just thought that. While in the Hell on Earth, I finally let myself admit what I had been denying for about two years now: I love Fang. That's a shocker if you've ever heard one, isn't it? I mean, we're family, we're like brother and sister, we've grown up together, and somehow in that growing up, I grew to love.

Now, don't think with this new epiphany I'm gonna go all ga-ga and blush and giggle and act all girly around Fang now, cause I'm not. I'm gonna treat him exactly as I always have, I am determined of that. Who am I kidding? I _know_ the first time he gives me one of those smiles I'm gonna blush like a silly little girl. But I'm gonna try my hardest to act normal, gosh darnit!

So, here I am, sitting against a pine tree in the Florida Everglades watching over my flock. I told them all that I was too wired with adrenaline from the fight to sleep right then, so I'd take the first watch. Truthfully, I doubt I'll even sleep when it isn't my turn. I mean, if the last time you slept, you were gagged and tied and put in an isolation tank, you'd be a little wary about falling asleep too.

My watch was coming to an end and I was supposed to wake Fang soon so he could take over. Looking at him now, though, I didn't know if I wanted to. He looked so peaceful in his sleep, not broody and stoic like he did while awake. I figured, why not let him sleep? I'll be staying awake anyway, there's no use in tiring him out for no reason.

So the end of my watch came and went. At about the middle of Fang's watch (which I was taking, in case you didn't catch that), Fang shot up and frantically looked around. Spotting me, he relaxed a bit and then put on his I-am-pissed-you-are-in-so-much-trouble face.

As he walked toward me, I put on a "who me?" expression with a slightly confused look. If you're about to be in trouble, a great diversionary tactic is to act like you have no idea _why_ you're in trouble, even if you do.

So, he was all stalk-y in that Fang way of his, and I was all "I'm innocent as a baby lion" in that Max way of mine. Needless to say, this would be interesting.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Let's just jump right in, shall we? Fang was glaring down at me and, frankly, it was making me kinda pissed. It's not like I did it for my own selfish reasons (ok, maybe a bit. I mean, he looked adorable!), I did it so he could sleep some more.

"I knew I wouldn't be able to fall asleep and figured you could use the extra rest, so I just let you sleep."

You would think after that heart- warming, caring, selfless act he would soften up a bit, but _nooo_, he continues to glare down at me like I'm some ignorant little child.

"I'm a big boy," he practically growled at me. "I can handle getting up for a few hours to keep watch." By now he was glowering. What was his _problem_?

"What is your _problem_? I did something to try and help you! I know you can take watch, you've done it millions of times! God, a girl tries to do something nice and she gets her head blown off her shoulders!"

I was half shouting now, still trying to keep voice down so as not to wake the others. "Have you ever thought maybe I didn't _want_ to sleep? Have you thought maybe I'm scared senseless that I'll be taken again or that one of you will be taken? Do you have any idea how horrible it is to be kidnapped and put in a place where you have no sense of _anything_? Where the only thing you have are your thought and the little Voice in your head?"

Fang was actually gaping at me now, full-on fish-out-of-water. Then, get this, I burst out into sobs. Me, Maximum Ride, who almost never cries, _ever_, was in full-on all-out tear mode. Fang grabbed me by the arms and just held me, rocking back and forth a bit, murmuring soothing noises in my ear. It was the sweetest thing he'd ever done for me, hell, for _anyone_. Usually he was Mr. 3Cs-I-don't-have-any-emotions.

"Shh. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten mad. I just freaked when I realized you hadn't woke me up. I thought they might have taken you back there. Shh. I'm sorry. I was just really worried."

My tears started to subside. I felt like such an idiot. I've had a lot of bad things happen in my life, a lot of tough situations to get through, and here something bad happens, basically another normal day for me, and I lose it.

"I'm sorry," I sniffled.

Fang just looked puzzled. "What for?"

"For being such an idiot. For crying like a stupid, weak little girl."

Fang smiled at me (God, I could melt from the intensity of one of those smiles) and said, "You aren't stupid or weak. In fact, you are the strongest person I know, and probably one of the smartest. Of course, that doesn't mean you have any common sense." Fang smirked down at me and I laughed.

"That's why I love you; you can make me laugh even when I feel like crap."

Fang got a weird look on his face. Then it hit me what I had just said. I'd said I loved him! Oh God, oh God, oh God.

"Stupid, idiotic girl!" Even though I half mumbled it, Fang heard.

Then he chuckled. He actually chuckled! Here I had just spilled my deepest, darkest seceret and what does he do? He chuckles!

"I thought we just went over this? You're not stupid, and I would hope you were a girl, because otherwise I would be gay, and that lifestyle doesn't really appeal to me."

I literally did a double take. Did he just say what I think he just said?

"Um…w-what did you just say?" I knew he was going to tease me as much as he could even before he opened his mouth; he had that glint in his eye and that smirk at the corner of his mouth.

"You're not stupid? Well, if you're really adamant that you _are_, I'll agree with you and—"

He never got to finish that sentence. We were too busy kissing.

We've been together for six years now. We're both 20 and about to get married. The flock was great about our relationship, so supportive. Of course, they teased Fang to no end about showing _any _emotion, especially _love_. You can imagine they had a field day when he proposed. Angel once told me that she was afraid we would leave them after we were married. Fang and I quickly dispersed those fears when we told them they were expected to move in with us, no excuses accepted. Of course, that's _after_ a nice, _long_ honeymoon.


End file.
